Tuesday, November 8, 2016

How to Eat a Healthy Diet

In order to keep yourself in the best shape possible, it's essential to
eat a healthy diet. Find out exactly what you should be eating on a
regular basis.

If you are what you eat, it follows that you want to stick to a
healthy diet that’s well balanced. “You want to eat a variety of foods,”
says Stephen Bickston, MD, AGAF, professor of internal medicine and
director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Virginia
Commonwealth University Health Center in Richmond. “You don’t want to be
overly restrictive of any one food group or eat too much of another.”

Healthy Diet: The Building Blocks The best
source of meal planning for most Americans is the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food
Pyramid. The pyramid, updated in 2005, suggests that for a healthy diet
each day you should eat:

6 to 8 servings of grains. These include bread,
cereal, rice, and pasta, and at least 3 servings should be from whole
grains. A serving of bread is one slice while a serving of cereal is 1/2
(cooked) to 1 cup (ready-to-eat). A serving of rice or pasta is 1/2 cup
cooked (1 ounce dry). Save fat-laden baked goods such as croissants,
muffins, and donuts for an occasional treat.

2 to 4 servings of fruits and 4 to 6 servings of vegetables. Most fruits and vegetables
are naturally low in fat, making them a great addition to your healthy
diet. Fruits and vegetables also provide the fiber, vitamins, and
minerals you need for your body’s systems to function at peak
performance. Fruits and vegetables also will add flavor to a healthy
diet. It's best to serve them fresh, steamed, or cut up in salads. Be
sure to skip the calorie-laden toppings, butter, and mayonnaise, except
on occasion. A serving of raw or cooked vegetables is equal to 1/2 cup
(1 cup for leafy greens); a serving of a fruit is 1/2 cup or a fresh
fruit the size of a tennis ball.

2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese. Choose dairy products wisely. Go for fat-free or reduced-fat milk or cheeses. Substitute yogurt for sour cream in many recipes and no one will notice the difference. A serving of dairy is equal to 1 cup of milk or yogurt or 1.5 to 2 ounces of cheese.

2 to 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts.
For a healthy diet, the best ways to prepare beef, pork, veal, lamb,
poultry, and fish is to bake or broil them. Look for the words “loin” or
“round” in cuts of meats because they're the leanest. Remove all
visible fat or skin before cooking, and season with herbs, spices, and
fat-free marinades. A serving of meat, fish, or poultry is 2 to 3
ounces. Some crossover foods such as dried beans, lentils, and peanut
butter can provide protein without the animal fat and cholesterol you get from meats. A ¼ cup cooked beans or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter is equal to 1 ounce of lean meat.

Use fats, oils, and sweets sparingly. No diet
should totally eliminate any one food group, even fats, oils, and
sweets. It’s fine to include them in your diet as long as it’s on
occasion and in moderation, Bickston says.

Healthy Diet: Eat Right and the Right Amount How many calories
you need in a day depends on your sex, age, body type, and how active
you are. Generally, active children ages 2 to 8 need between 1,400 and
2,000 calories a day. Active teenage girls and women can consume about
2,200 calories a day without gaining weight. Teenage boys and men who
are very active should consume about 3,000 calories a day to maintain
their weight. If you're not active, you calorie needs drop by 400 to 600
calories a day.
The best way to know how much to eat is to listen to your body, says
Donald Novey, MD, an integrative medicine physician with the Advocate
Medical Group in Park Ridge, Ill. “Pull away from the table when you’re
comfortable but not yet full. Wait about 20 minutes,” he says. “Usually
your body says, ‘That’s good.’ If you’re still hungry after that, you
might want to eat a little more.”

Healthy Diet: Exercise Is Part of the Plan At the bottom of the new USDA food pyramid is a space for exercise.
Exercise is an important component of a well-balanced diet and good
nutrition. You can reap "fabulous rewards," says Dr Novey, just by
exercising and eating “a healthy diet of foods that nature provides.”